day off

[Ruifeng]

When you go to work, you notice that some people are absent, and you ask about them, which of these is correct as an answer:

1. They have today off.

2. They have a day off today.

3. They are having a day off today.

4. They have had today off.

4. They have taken a day off today.

5. They are taking a day off today.

6. They took a day off today.

Are there any other ways to express this idea?

Thanks

[Dozy]

All the sentences are possible, but the first #4 would only be used at the end of the day. In speech, "they are" would usually be contracted to "they're", and "they have" to "they've" in both #4s, possibly in #2, but not in #1.

You could also say "they're off today", "they've taken the day off".